The "Freeola Customer Forum" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
Bandwagon Jumping!
* Create a Big Brother forum and get it high on Google.
* Create a temporary discussion forum about a popular news event in an attempt to grab the BBC HYS-style of poster.
* Do a deal with a decent search engine and put it on your lead page in an attempt to get users to make you their homepage.
* Bring back the news thing you used to do with amusing spins on various news.
* Chuck up some celebrity rubbish - that always brings in people to chat.
If you want the forums to bring people in and actually be a decent marketing addition to your site then this is the rather unfortunate turn you have to take.
However there are other good things to promote alongside this:
* Writing/poetry competitions
* Most hilarious news item of the day competition
* Best bargain of the day competiton
etc
The point is there are a 1000 ways to get in some more hits from those looking to chat about current topics and win amazon/argos vouchers but you're not attempting them and the forums are dying on their a**e.
Above all these ideas won't amount to anything without high search results and a little bit of sly marketing (email or otherwise) but using the obvious tricks (calling pictures 'Big Brother'/'other' over and over for instance) it shouldn't be a problem.
Worth a go I think.
* Create a Big Brother forum and get it high on Google.
* Create a temporary discussion forum about a popular news event in an attempt to grab the BBC HYS-style of poster.
* Do a deal with a decent search engine and put it on your lead page in an attempt to get users to make you their homepage.
* Bring back the news thing you used to do with amusing spins on various news.
* Chuck up some celebrity rubbish - that always brings in people to chat.
If you want the forums to bring people in and actually be a decent marketing addition to your site then this is the rather unfortunate turn you have to take.
However there are other good things to promote alongside this:
* Writing/poetry competitions
* Most hilarious news item of the day competition
* Best bargain of the day competiton
etc
The point is there are a 1000 ways to get in some more hits from those looking to chat about current topics and win amazon/argos vouchers but you're not attempting them and the forums are dying on their a**e.
Above all these ideas won't amount to anything without high search results and a little bit of sly marketing (email or otherwise) but using the obvious tricks (calling pictures 'Big Brother'/'other' over and over for instance) it shouldn't be a problem.
Worth a go I think.
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The way I see it, these forums struggle because they lack purpose. We're the afterbirth of a specialist computing store's customer base, long after said company ceased to exist.
A bunch of hangers on.
A thriving user base will only now arise by embracing the product lines of the new host on a greater scale, or if Freeola expands into more 'high traffic' forumite products.
Me, I've often thought of starting my own offshoot forum specifically for hosting short story competitions that reward good writing with cash. Unfurtunately, while I could afford the cash outlay, the time investment involved in reading entries and website maintenance make it little more than a distant dream...
A bunch of hangers on.
A thriving user base will only now arise by embracing the product lines of the new host on a greater scale, or if Freeola expands into more 'high traffic' forumite products.
Me, I've often thought of starting my own offshoot forum specifically for hosting short story competitions that reward good writing with cash. Unfurtunately, while I could afford the cash outlay, the time investment involved in reading entries and website maintenance make it little more than a distant dream...
NickGreen wrote:
> I know it would cost a bomb
Who cares?
> I know it would cost a bomb
Who cares?
How to save the forums????
How about not removing the link from the banner at the top of the home page????
How about not removing the link from the banner at the top of the home page????
Yeah they're making it harder to find the forums now. Do you think they're going to pull the plug on us?
If that's the case I'll give Freeola five bob for the forum code and we'll carry on regardless (which I'm watching right now ^^ I love Carry On films)
If that's the case I'll give Freeola five bob for the forum code and we'll carry on regardless (which I'm watching right now ^^ I love Carry On films)
They will probably just make it harder and harder to find until people get bored of the low posts and give up and move to other forums. Its got to be cheaper than actually closing the servers down...... and remember the management is the same as at SR.
In the advertising industry the more expensive ads are placed to the upper right of the page, simply because that is where the eye naturally focuses when a page is turned. If this theory hold weight, moving the chat forums tab to the left has just phenomenally decreased its visibility.. and patronage. Pft.
Its not even top left it is bottom right. Not on the top of the page at all:(
On the www.freeola.com home page anyway. Its only top left once you have the /gameaday. Unless youi know its there you cant find it.
Ladybird wrote:
> In the advertising industry the more expensive ads are placed to
> the upper right of the page, simply because that is where the
> eye naturally focuses when a page is turned. If this theory
> hold weight, moving the chat forums tab to the left has just
> phenomenally decreased its visibility.. and patronage. Pft.
I found it straight away as my eye was drawn to the little person motif.* So I'm pleasantly surprised.
*this may be due to me looking at midget porn all the time however.
> In the advertising industry the more expensive ads are placed to
> the upper right of the page, simply because that is where the
> eye naturally focuses when a page is turned. If this theory
> hold weight, moving the chat forums tab to the left has just
> phenomenally decreased its visibility.. and patronage. Pft.
I found it straight away as my eye was drawn to the little person motif.* So I'm pleasantly surprised.
*this may be due to me looking at midget porn all the time however.
Still the little person motif is hardly pride of place. Its on the bottom right of the page.
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